‘How do you know, if he were kept so separate from you?’ said Crookshank.
‘I was told, by people in Washington…’
‘… Gossip again,’ interrupted the lawyer.
‘Fact,’ rejected Levin, prepared. ‘On occasions the courier was from the United Nations. Always it was to move what Shelenkov had.’
‘Who was the courier at the United Nations?’ The question came from Bowden but the CIA group showed no annoyance at the questioning being taken away from them.
‘Vadim Alekseevich Dolya,’ identified Levin, the lie already prepared, knowing from Bowden’s disclosure in Connecticut of Dolya’s withdrawal to the Soviet Union that he could not be challenged.
‘Let’s accept for a moment that Shelenkov did have an exceptional source and that Dzerzhinsky Square were prepared to operate in the unusual way you’ve described,’ explored Norris. ‘You haven’t so far given us any indication why that source should be CIA.’
‘Moscow identify the CIA by the same name by which you call yourselves,’ disclosed Levin. ‘The Company…’ He smiled apologetically. ‘It amuses them, I think. On every occasion when material was carried through UN personnel, Shelenkov used that phrase. “Company business” or “Secrets from the Company”.’
‘You told us he was regarded as a good operative,’ reminded Myers. ‘Number three in the rezidentura, you said. A good operative would not have been as indiscreet as that.’
Levin appeared to hesitate, before responding. ‘Shelenkov had a problem,’ he said. ‘He drank too much. The story that filtered back to us at the UN was that Moscow specifically moved him because they were frightened by his indiscretions: that he might reveal his source, through carelessness.’
‘You’re saying that he used the expression about the Company when he was drunk?’
‘Yes.’ It was all coming out more quickly than intended and they’d missed something upon which Levin had expected them – wanted them – to pick up. He shifted laboriously in his chair, to give the impression of discomfort.
‘UN personnel?’ said Crookshank.
Levin was sure he concealed his relief. ‘I am sorry?’ he encouraged.
‘A while back you identified…’ The lawyer paused, consulting the legal pad. ‘… Someone called Vadim Dolya as the courier. Then you used an expression about UN personnel, as if more than one man were involved.’
‘There were,’ said Levin. He spoke simply, as if surprised at Crookshank’s confusion, glad it was this man who had initiated the questioning.
This isn’t coming easily, is it, Mr Levin?’ demanded the lawyer.
‘I have promised to help,’ reminded the Russian. ‘I am responding as best I can to what I am asked, how I am asked it. I do not have a prepared statement: there was no way I could anticipate what you were going to ask me, apart perhaps from the first, obvious question.’
‘I’m sure my colleague was not trying to sound critical,’ said Myers, soothing again. ‘It’s all going to come out in time.’
From the look that Crookshank gave the unkempt man it was clear he had very much intended to sound critical, but Levin only gave that impression passing thought. He was more intent upon what Myers had said, indicating further sessions: at last! Levin thought, further relieved.
‘Did you ever have any direct contact with Shelenkov?’ asked Norris.
‘Yes,’ said Levin, conscious once more of the looks that went between the three men he was facing.
‘Maybe you’d better describe the system, so that this stops coming out like we’re pulling teeth,’ said Crookshank.
‘As I thought I’d already made clear, the primary consideration was to avoid Shelenkov’s activities being compromised in any way. Which meant, naturally, the use of cut-outs.’
‘You acted as a cut-out?’ pressed Norris.
‘Yes.’
‘How often?’
Levin hesitated, seeming to give the question consideration. ‘Maybe three or four times.’
‘You know the importance of what we’re asking!’ erupted Crookshank at once. ‘So how many times was it? Three? Or four?’
‘Four,’ said Levin.
‘How?’
‘Dolya was the courier to Moscow. So the break had to be between him and Shelenkov, minimizing the risk of any connection if the FBI targeted either of them,’ recounted Levin. ‘I had to travel down here from New York, on some pretext, make the pick-up and then transfer it to Dolya in the complete security of our mission when I got back.’
‘Did you ever know what you were carrying?’ said Myers.
‘Of course not.’
‘ How did you carry?’
‘Once a specification catalogue, about a tractor… the sort of thing always available at agricultural shows,’ said Levin. ‘Twice sealed letters. The last time it was a holiday postcard.’
‘Microdots,’ said Norris, a remark more to himself than anyone else in the room. ‘Somewhere on material absolutely ordinary and unremarkable in itself.’
Levin was about to respond, confirming the man’s guess, but Proctor spoke across him. ‘I’m curious, Yevgennie,’ said the FBI man. ‘How come you never told me any of this before?’
The Russian was grateful there had been so much preparation before he left the Soviet Union. Turning to the man who had acted as his control, Levin said: ‘Don’t you remember what I said, the day I asked to come across?’
‘Remind me,’ urged Proctor.
‘Insurance,’ said Levin. ‘I regarded it as my insurance, to ensure my acceptance by you.’
‘I think we’ve got a lot to talk about,’ said Myers. ‘That this has only been the start: the absolute start.’
The satisfaction flowed through Levin. He said: ‘I believe there is much to talk about, certainly.’
‘Enough for today,’ concluded Myers. ‘There is more than enough for us to think about.’
And check, guessed Levin.
The CIA committee remained in the room after the others left for the return flight to Connecticut, momentarily unspeaking. Then Myers said: ‘Well?’
‘Looks good enough to me,’ said Norris.
‘I’m not sure the presentation is properly disjointed,’ disputed the lawyer, whose early career had included courtroom cross examination.
‘What the hell’s that mean?’ demanded Myers, who’d found some difficulty curbing his language during the encounter with the Russian.
‘There were occasions when I thought he responded in a rehearsed manner.’
‘He would have rehearsed some responses, wouldn’t he?’ said Norris. ‘He knew what he was here for.’
‘He said he didn’t have a prepared statement,’ reminded the lawyer.
‘He would have anticipated some things… thought them through,’ insisted the Soviet expert.
‘We’ve obviously got to take it further,’ judged Myers. ‘It’s too soon to make an assessment one way or the other yet.’
‘What if he’s a plant?’ demanded Crookshank.
‘We’ve checked out Kapalet in Paris,’ said Norris. ‘We know he’s one hundred per cent and we got Shelenkov’s name from him, first.’
‘And through Kapalet we might still have some sort of link to Shelenkov,’ said Myers. ‘Levin would look pretty kosher if we managed to get confirmation of the courier system, wouldn’t he?’
‘ If we could get confirmation,’ agreed Crookshank reluctantly.
Alexandr Bogaty tapped and patted all the expert evidence assembled at the scene of Malik’s killing into an orderly pile and replaced it on the desk in front of him, nodding at what he’d spent three hours reading and digesting. He had not had any doubt, from his initial impression, but this was positive confirmation that once having been knocked down, the man had been intentionally run over a second time by the reversing vehicle. The medical evidence was the most positive, two separate points of impact, the first which had broken Malik’s back; the second
